'Machine Gun Preacher' Sam Childers Talks About His Time in Africa

"Machine Gun Preacher" is based on the true story of Sam Childers. Childers is an ex-convict who got his life right through the help of his wife, Lynn Childers, who became a Christian. His newfound faith has led him to take up a crusade to save the children of Sudan by building an orphanage and rescuing them from the murderous clutches of the Lord's Resistance Army. I had a chance to speak with Childers about the movie and his experiences.

Do you think "Machine Gun Preacher" is going to help expose audiences to your ministry and the problems in Sudan?

Most people are going to this movie because of Gerard Butler. A few people are going to the movie because they hear it's the true story of Sam Childers. I think we've had over a thousand-plus people email us or call our office that told us that after they had seen the movie, it's not about Sam Childers anymore. It's about them and what are they going to do.

We need to realize that there are children dying around the world. The movie only shows a tiny fraction of what we do. We're big into sex trafficking in the U.S. Some people trying to expose it. I'm not. I'm trying to bring it down. I speak in high schools and colleges about drugs and alcohol constantly. It's not just about Africa. It's about motivating people around the world. The main thing I hope is people can see the movie that are in the world and of the world and all messed up and see that if I can change so can they.

Lastly, it gives me a platform to stand up and tell people to educate themselves on what's going on in Sudan. Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, is only a small little fraction of what's going on inside of South Sudan or Darfur. Darfur has a genocide going on. South Sudan had a genocide. Many people think now they're at peace in their own country. That's a totally false statement. They're fighting in the Blue Nile. They're fighting in the Nuba Mountains. There's constant fighting in Abia right now.

What is going on over there right now?

President [Omar al-] Bashir just motivated 5,0000 troops to move in along the Sudan border where they're getting ready to attack. You can find all this stuff out on the Internet. The big problem of Sudan is the president is the only one to have war crimes placed on him and still be in office. He's not just causing a problem in Sudan. It goes the whole way to the Congo because Joseph Kony is financed by President Bashir. He's killing people in the Congo. Some people say, "Well, Joseph Kony is ended now. He's not really doing anything." 1,000 people have been abducted since the first of the year. Over 200 people have been killed. That's a problem. If one child is abducted that's a problem.

What is your schedule like? How much time do you spend in Africa away from your family?

I just got back. I spend about seven months a year in Africa. We don't just work in Sudan. I've got three major projects. One in Uganda. One in Ethiopa and we have the orphanage in Sudan. We're getting ready to go into Somalia. In the U.S., I have a campground in Pennsylvania where I'm working all the time with troubled youth. We have a very good team with us right now.

Our work has really grown over the last few years. I'm there [Africa] for up to five or six weeks and then I'm back here raising funds. I then go back over there. Unfortunately, because of the budget we have, I have to be on the road raising funds a lot. That's why I'm back and forth.

For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:

Michelle Monaghan Opens Up About Challenges of Role in 'Machine Gun Preacher'
Gerard Butler Talks About Meeting the Real 'Machine Gun Preacher'
'Machine Gun Preacher' Star Michelle Monaghan Addresses Problems in Sudan

Eric Shirey is the founder and editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! TV, Associated Content from Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, KISSOnline.com, and other national entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Michelle Monaghan, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Gene Simmons, Ashley Tisdale, Selena Gomez and many more.

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